Apparently there is a thing called a Zoom shirt.  It sits on the back of your chair at home, and just before you start a meeting with your boss or colleague, you put on the shirt to look professional. You know, over a T-shirt and sweatpants*. There ...

So here's the weird thing about Stockholm: nothing is weird. Everything feels normal.  No one wears a mask, and while there’s still social distancing, it's minimal and feels almost like politeness. People do sanitise their hands frequently, and th...

I am a 39-year-old father of three wonderful daughters. My family is without question the most joyful and important thing in my life.  Why is this relevant to Permanent Style? Two reasons.  First, this demographic is not well-represented in the ima...

Ludwig Reiter is an old shoemaker used to catering to a wide variety of customers. It sells bags, sandals and trainers alongside oxfords and brogues, for both men and women.Many of the styles also look a little old fashioned, but there are some hidde...

Understanding formality is a cornerstone of dressing well.  Only when you understand that flannel is more casual than worsted, and a derby more casual than an oxford, can you begin to understand the impression clothes create - and how to put appropr...

Last week a friend in the industry asked me what aspect of writing Permanent Style I like the most. It is always, easily, discovering a new tailor, cloth or product that is different and inspiring. That journey from discovering something new, to se...

During the past Winter, I was vaguely looking to replace my longstanding work boots from Wolverine (above).  They’d done great service: on long country walks, camping in different parts of the country, and just going to the local park in rain, mud...

When is it worth buying the best possible quality, and when can you economise?  This, of course, was part of the subject of my book The Finest Menswear in the World, which examined what constitutes ‘quality’ in various categories of clothing.  ...

Edward Green Pimlico, unlinedHi Simon,I have been searching the internet but not really found anything thatreally helps, unless I have been asking Google the wrong questions.Anyway, with the weather finally being that of the south of France, going to...

In the UK, good shoes split into two very clean categories: benchmade and bespoke. With the former, workers use a series of hulking Victorian machines to make the shoes. Each applies force in a different way, whether stretching the upper over the las...

On the trail blazed by Bunny AustinEsquire, August 1935: "White duck shorts, introduced by Bunny Austin, have been seen in increasing numbers at important tennis tournaments over the past two seasons. Without the famous little Englishman's sponsorshi...

It's been a long time coming, but I finally managed to get my hands on a pair of Lodger tennis shoes this week. And I'm revelling in them. They were first offered as one of Lodger's shoes of the month back in April 2009. At the time I had the chance ...

A friend of mine started investing in good shoes around six months ago. I find it reassuring that I get such vicarious pleasure out of it: perhaps I’m not as self-centred as all that. His first pair was a lovely set of mid-brown, cap-toe Derbys (ab...

The co-respondent is such a beautiful shoe. Made with a mix of leather and white buckskin or canvas, it is a summer shoe that leaps out from an outfit. It makes a definite, rakish statement – and even has a rakish story behind its name. The shoe wa...

You see quite a few bankers around this part of London wearing driving shoes with their suits. They presumably think they’ve stumbled onto a great thing – like loafers, but different, and in a huge range of colours. But then they can’t see the...

Simon, Would you be willing to do a post on (casual) summer dressing? It’s the area of dress I struggle with the most. Every time I go on summer/spring holidays I find myself browsing through the internet looking for a good mix of casual and el...

This outfit, which was shot for the recent cover story of Plaza Uomo magazine, is probably one of the most casual ever featured on Permanent Style. Much like the first image of our popular ‘Which office are you?’ post, it is the informal end of a...

For many reasons - personal, business, product, sheer beauty of execution - I’ve long been a fan of The Armoury. They were therefore one brand I was particularly excited to get into our Savile Row pop-up shop. However, the things I wanted to fe...

It’s taken a while to get to these remaining questions from our ‘You are the interviewer’ post (thanks again for those - some great questions in there). Hopefully I’ll be able to get through them all over the Christmas break. Today, we’...

At our pop-up shop back in April 2017, Fox Brothers brought up some vintage bolts to offer readers, including a rather beautiful ecru cavalry twill.   I bought a length myself, and subsequently had it made up into some plain-front trousers with Pom...

Fit is the most important aspect of clothing. It’s something I’ve always believed and it bears repeating. Quality is perhaps next, and you need style in anything, but fit is criminally ignored by most men - usually in favour of some presumed sh...

Although tailoring is my primary passion, I’ve always worn clothing that these days would be grouped under the term ‘workwear’ on the weekend. Good denim, obviously, but also sweatshirts, waxed boots and canvas trousers. Some of the best-love...

I’ve never had a horsehide jacket before. I did have an old, vintage one rom RRL a few years ago, but it was so old and soft that it felt nothing like this, like new horsehide. To be honest, I’d been rather put off by the styling of horsehide j...

Two weeks ago, Deborah Carre of Carreducker and I organised a talk among five very different shoemakers, to talk about how and why men are buying bespoke today. It was scheduled to coincide with London Craft Week, held in Carreducker's leather schoo...

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at a relatively casual outfit - and how elements such as a baseball cap or bright knitwear could make classic menswear less formal, with some Ivy influences. Today I’d like to talk about one element that I find just...